Never Really Mine
by Maplestrike
Summary: What can you do if the love of your life rejects you? A one shot for BlazeClan's challenge Rejected Love


This is a story about rejected love. Moonshade can't live her life any longer without Stormflake, so she makes the decision to end it. What will happen when Stormflake finds out what she is going to do? A one shot for BlazeClan's challenge, rejected love.

_I loved him, more than anything. More than he could understand, more than even I could. I would have given my life for him willingly, happily even. But he didn't love me back. Not at all. He scorned and mocked me for reasons I don't even know. And I understood, that without him, without his love, there is no reason to live. To eat, to drink, to breathe. So I made my choice. There was going to be no more of this. Tonight, it will all be over. Finally._

Moonshade blinked open her eyes. Finally, the warrior's den was quiet. She had been waiting for Blacktuft and Copperbright to stop talking for so long, she must have dozed off. Moonshade sighed as she watched the sleeping form of Stormflake. It saddened her beyond compare that he would never know how much she loved him. But perhaps, when they were both in StarClan, he would finally see Moonshade the way she saw Stormflake. _It's time. _Quietly, Moonshade stood up and weaved her way carefully around the sleeping cats. Suddenly, she heard a growl from near her left forepaw. She froze. She had trodden on Fleetclaw's tail. Fleetclaw growled again, but this time it was quieter. With a rush of relief she realised Fleetclaw was still asleep. Moonshade picked her way through the rest of the warriors and stepped outside into the cold night air. Seeing Breezeheart in the middle of the clearing, she cursed silently. She had forgotten that the new warrior was sitting his vigil. Keeping her head down, she nodded in his direction and headed swiftly towards the camp entrance. She silently hoped that he wouldn't ask where she was going.

"Moonshade?"

Growling to herself, she turned around and faced Breezeheart.

"Where are you going this late at night?"

"I just wanted to get out into the forest for a while. It's a little cramped in there."

Breezeheart narrowed his eyes. "Would you like me to come with you?"

"No, I'll be fine," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I'll only be a little while."

Before the black warrior could call her back, Moonshade trotted hastily through the tunnel and out into the forest. She knew exactly where she was going. Up right to the end of the territory, where a bush stood. A bush with big, red berries.

...

Moonshade padded across the scent line to the other side of the clearing, over to the yew bush. She knew this was the best way to do things, because the clan would find her, and there would be a body to bury. Even after what she was going to do, she still wanted to end up in StarClan. Taking a deep breath, she pulled off two of the bright red berries from the bush.

"Do you want to do this?"

Moonshade jumped and spun around. Sitting there, as calm as can be, was Stormflake.

"What are you doing here?" She snarled. Then she realised who she was talking to. This was the cat she loved so much. "What are you doing here?" she repeated more softly. Stormflake licked a paw and drew it over his ear.

"I came to find you. Of course." He didn't seem at all worried by the deathberries by her side.

Moonshade rolled her eyes. "Weren't you too busy getting cosy with Mallowdrop to come looking for a useless cat like me?" Mallowdrop was Stormflake's mate, and even though she had never been horrible to Moonshade, she hated the she cat's guts. After all, she had to watch that piece of fox dung with her love every day.

Stormflake shook his head softly. "I would never want any of my clanmates to be hurt. When I woke up you were gone, and you had seemed so preoccupied for the last days, I thought you might be in trouble, so of course I followed you." His gaze hardened as he saw the deathberries. "What are you doing with those?" Before Moonshade could reply, he growled.

"I knew it! I knew you would do it eventually, you murderer!" Moonshade looked at him, horrified.

"What? I haven't killed any cat!" Moonshade was scared, Stormflake had come so close to the truth.

"You haven't yet, but you will! You're going to feed those to Mallowdrop! I've seen the way you look at her, and I just knew it wouldn't be long until you got rid of her once and for all!" Stormflake's eyes glittered with fury.

"No." Moonshade's mew was quiet and controlled. "I'm going to eat those deathberries, Stormflake, not Mallowdrop." As she spoke, she pulled the berries closer to her. "There's nothing you can do to stop me. You have made my life so hard, just by ignoring me." Moonshade hooked the deathberries onto her claws.

"Goodbye, Stormflake. I will always love you." But before she could put the berries in her mouth, Stormflake jumped onto her, bowling her over. She heard his growl in her ear.

"You will not eat those berries!" Grunting with the effort, he pushed a struggling Moonshade down with his hind legs whilst grabbing the deathberries with his front paws. Moonshade bucked her hips until Stormflake's hind legs buckled and they collapsed on top of her. Crawling out, she dragged herself over to the yew bush and pulled off another berry with her teeth. The juice was bulging beneath the skin, and she resisted the temptation to sink her teeth into it. She wanted Stormflake to witness this moment.

"Stop!" She yowled. Stormflake straightened up, his paws over the first berries. Moonshade opened her jaws to reveal the berry in her mouth. Stormflake's eyes widened with alarm, and something else. Slowly, he took a small step towards her, then another. Moonshade growled threateningly. Stormflake stopped, then backed away again. Fast as a lightning strike, he bent down and licked up another berry. Moonshade looked on in horror as Stormflake chewed and swallowed. Almost immediately, he began to convulse in pain. Her own life forgotten, spat out her berry and ran to Stormflake's side, but there was nothing she could do as his pained yowls grew weaker and weaker. She licked his head frantically.

"Please don't leave me, my love!" At her voice, Stormflake's eyes flickered open. He opened his jaws.

"I always loved you, Moonshade," he whispered gently. Then he slumped back, and the light left his eyes.

Moonshade opened her jaws in a hopeless yowl.

_The cat I loved was never mine to love. But then he said of his love for me, and now he is gone forever. _

_He was never really mine._


End file.
